DIY Angry Bird Costume (I made it for under $10)

Every year I try to encourage my older boys to make there own costumes for Halloween, I think it helps them to be thrifty and understand the value of money. It doesn’t make much sense to spend a lot of money on a costume they will only wear once. This year I took my own advice and decided to make a costume for my youngest. For the record, I have no sewing experience and I didn’t use a pattern. I just did a little planning and used some basic supplies and in a no time I made an Angry Bird costume my 4 year old is super excited to wear.

What you need:

1 Yard of red furry fabric

2 sheets (8×10) of black felt

1 sheet of yellow felt

1 sheet white felt

1/4 yard tan of felt (I actually used an old pillow case)

Stuffing (I used old decor pillows so I didn’t have the added expense of the stuffing)

1 old sheet (the thrift store is a great place to buy if you don’t have one laying around.

First step is to make the circle for the body. Start with one yard of red fabric, fold fabric in half and cut out circle for the body. You will end up with 2 larger circles. Cut out the same size circle out of an old sheet. You will sew the 2 red circles with the sheet in middle. Make sure to leave about 18 inches unsewn at the bottom.

Draw a pattern for the eyes, and beak, once this is all cut, outline with black felt and sew together. (I made a paper template and used as a guide for cutting)

Also cut out a black tail and red hair for the top. For the hair you will need to cut two pieces so you can sew it together and stuff it to give it some dimension.

Pin the face on the bird so you make sure you they are where you want them before you sew them on.

Place the bird on your child so you can find the best placement for head hole and arm slits. Mark them with a pen. Cut out the head hole, and arm slits. Sew (by hand) the top red circle and the sheet together.

Cut out the belly, which is essentially a half circle, place on bird and sew. Make sure to not sew the bottom, so you can stuff the bird. (That makes is sound a little like Thanksgiving, doesn’t it…stuff the bird)

Sew on all the face parts by hand.

Stuff the bird with stuffing, between the sheet and the red fabric (with the face on it). Finish it off by sewing the bottom portion closed (just the top portion and the sheet). Sew on black tail, and red hair on the top. You are all done, and ready for Halloween!

I am a mom to 5 kids, living in the PNW. I believe that being thrifty doesn’t necessarily mean going without. If we are smart about the little things, we can often find the time and resources to enjoy the bigger things. I share a variety of deals, recipes, crafts, DIY projects, travel ideas and more.